American Horticultural Society Travel Study Program GREECE: ANTIQUITY, CULTURE & GARDENS April 23 – May 4, 2018 WITH AHS HOSTS JANE AND GEORGE DIAMANTIS AND TOUR LEADER SUSIE ORSO OF SPECIALTOURS Dear Friends, I invite you to join an extraordinary American Horticultural Society tour: “Greece: Antiquity, Culture & Gardens,” from April 23 to May 4, 2018. Much of Western civilization and what we value emanated from Greece and the ideas and sensitivities birthed there. This splendid tour will bring us to ancient ruins, modern gardens, and many sensory delights. We’ll begin with a city called the cradle of Western civilization: Athens. Our visit includes the Parthenon, one of the world’s greatest cultural monuments. During our stay, we’ll see two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Medieval City of Rhodes and the Old Town of Corfu. There will be some leisure time to explore Rhodes, a mosaic of different cultures and civilizations with more than 2,400 years of history! And we’ll discover Corfu with a tour of the Old Town and a walk through its elegant streets and squares. Rachel Weaving, author of a carefully researched book on the gardens of Corfu, will tell us about the island and its horticultural creativity. We’ll tour gardens that were crafted by notable designer Jennifer Gay. Also on our itinerary is The Philodassiki Botanical Garden, which sports a “wild” beauty that’s sure to amaze. As with many of our tours, we’ve been granted access to private gardens not open to the general public. Hosting this program for the American Horticultural Society is AHS Board member Jane Diamantis and her husband, George. Both are veterans of many AHS trips. Jane is an accomplished garden designer and owner of a landscape design company. George, born and raised in Greece, is an avid photographer of plants and gardens around the world. Our tour organizer is Specialtours’ Susie Orso, who has arranged and led many AHS Travel Study programs. She brings her years of experience to bear on this meticulously designed itinerary. We’ll also be accompanied by Nigel McGilchrist, art historian and author of the Blue Guide to the Greek Islands, whose personal contacts have opened many of the doors on this sojourn. His insight and depth of knowledge will greatly enhance our understanding of past and present Greek culture. The accommodations are impeccable. Our first hotel is the Hotel Grande Bretagne, located in the heart of Athens. Then it’s on to the Rodos Park Suites & Spa, surrounded by parks and gardens, and yet just steps from medieval Rhodes. Our final stay is at the Kontokali Bay Resort & Spa in Corfu. The property’s lush gardens underscore its commitment to sustainability. Don’t miss out on the profound experiences that await us on this tour. Space is limited and our Travel Study programs often sell out, so early reservations are advised. A convenient reservations form is enclosed in this brochure. Most sincerely, Holly Shimizu Interim Executive Director GREECE: ANTIQUITY, CULTURE & GARDENS are its spectacular galleries of archaic and classical sculpture from WITH AHS HOSTS JANE AND the Greek Bronze Age to Roman and Byzantine Greece. In some spots, the transparent floor provides a fascinating view of the GEORGE DIAMANTIS AND TOUR LEADER archaeological excavation. The rest of the afternoon will be at our SUSIE ORSO OF SPECIALTOURS leisure. Tonight, we’ll gather for dinner at the intimate Restaurant Oineas. WEDNESDAY APRIL 25 — ATHENS (B, L) This morning, we’ll depart by bus for the Stavros Niarchos Cultural Center in Kallithea, designed by Renzo Piano and completed in 2016. We’ll begin with a tour, accompanied by the garden’s creator Helli Pangalou, of the Center’s landscaped gardens, which were designed by New York garden designer Deborah Nevins. Next, we’ll make a brief stop to see a little-known but stunning collection of life-size, ancient bronze figures, dating from Bronze Age to Roman times, at the Archaeological Museum of Piraeus. Join AHS Hosts Jane and George Diamantis and tour leader Lunch will be at the Nautical Club in Flisvos Marina. The views from the marina and the ambience will make this a meal to please Susie Orso for this once-in-a-lifetime garden travel experience. all our senses. In late afternoon we’ll get up close with the iconic sites that have transfixed us since our arrival: the monuments of the Acropolis — the Parthenon, Propylaia, and the Erechtheion. Itinerary Highlights We can thank Pericles in the 5th century BC for coordinating the construction of the most important buildings, at a time when Athens was at the peak of its power. The Parthenon’s decorative SUNDAY, APRIL 22 sculptures are considered one of the highest points of Greek art. We depart the United States. We’ll catch our breath in time for dinner independently. MONDAY, APRIL 23 — ATHENS (D) THURSDAY, APRIL 26 — RHODES (B, L, D) Upon arrival at Athens airport, we will transfer to our first We’ll depart by bus with our luggage for Keratea. Our destination accommodation, the Hotel Grande Bretagne. Situated in the is a remarkable new private garden being created by the renowned heart of the city since 1874, the landmark hotel is within walking garden designer, Jennifer Gay. Next on our agenda is the rich distance of shopping, museums, and the business district. And garden at Sparoza, headquarters of the Mediterranean Garden the views? The Acropolis, Syntagma Square and the Parliament, Society. The curator, Sally Razelou, will guide us through this and Lycabettus Hill are all in view. There will be some free time garden — laid out and created by Jacqueline Tyrwhitt in the today to explore, shop, eat lunch and acquaint ourselves with 1960s — which is especially enticing for its comprehensive variety this monumental city. Next, we’ll leave by bus for a walk up the of Mediterranean plants. We’ll break for lunch at the Vorres Philopappos Hill to the Pnyx, seat of the democratic assembly Museum in Peania. Set in an 18th–century house surrounded by of ancient Athens. From here, the view of the Acropolis and garden courtyards, the museum is home to a collection of Greek Parthenon is spectacular. Then we’ll proceed to the ruins of the art, from Byzantine to contemporary. We’ll be personally escorted ancient Agora — a hub of activity for 5,000 years and cradle of by Nektarios Vorres, grandson of the museum’s founder. This democracy — to discover what archaeologists have revealed about afternoon, we’ll transfer to the airport for our flight to Rhodes. the planting of trees and flowers around the Temple of Hephaestus Our accommodations there, the Rodos Park Suites & Spa, is in antiquity. We’ll return to the hotel for welcome drinks and a modern, five-star hotel located just outside the walls of the an introductory talk by Nigel McGilchrist, the author of in- medieval city. We’ll embark on an evening walk into the maze of depth guides on the art, architecture, history, fauna, and flora of squares and alleyways of Rhodes’ Old Town, entering through the Greece. Then, we’ll enjoy dinner on the terrace of the hotel with d’Amboise Gate. The Old Town, now a UNESCO World Heritage breathtaking views. Site and one of the largest medieval towns in Europe, rewards us with 24 centuries of history. We’ll soak in gates, alleys, minarets, TUESDAY, APRIL 24 — ATHENS (B, L, D) fountains, and squares from medieval times. Dinner tonight is at Our first destination will be the Philodassiki Botanical Garden the Marco Polo Mansion Hotel, in the heart of the Old Town. below Mt. Hymettus, overlooking Athens. The curator, Sophia Stathatou, will treat us to a tour of the extensive garden and FRIDAY, APRIL 27 — RHODES (B, L, D) arboretum. Established in 1947, the gardens display many We’ll make a mid-morning departure with the ultimate destination quintessential Mediterranean elements and native species. We’ll of ancient Lindos. En route we’ll stop to see the Thermal Spas of continue with a private visit to a beautiful landscaped garden at Kallithea designed by Pietro Lombardi in 1927. The springs were Drafi, an Athenian suburb situated on the slopes of Mt. Pentelicon. recognized by the ancients for their therapeutic properties. Next, The owner has kindly offered to show us her combination of we’ll visit a couple of rural chapels: Moni Aghia Triada and the graceful stone architecture and mature Mediterranean plants. Church of the Parmeniotissa, two pocket gems with medieval To absorb even more local flavor, we stop for lunch in a typical frescoes. We’ll break for a light lunch at the Epta Piges Restaurant, Greek taverna. Then it’s back to Athens to visit the New Acropolis set in an area of natural beauty. The beautifully decorated church Museum, designed by Swiss architect Bernard Tschumi. Of note of the Panagia at Lindos, was founded possibly in the 12th century, but rebuilt as it is seen today in 1489. Encircled by high walls, the SUNDAY, APRIL 29 — RHODES (B, L, D) small church features a tall tower typical of churches in Rhodes. This morning’s bus excursion will take us down the west coast of Inside, we’ll marvel at the colorful frescoes, wooden icons, and the island to the little-visited site of Kameiros, a well-preserved chandeliers, along with the elaborately painted walls and ceiling ancient city built on three levels. The temple foundations were and traditional Rhodian flooring, featuring impressive mosaic begun at least as early as the eighth century BC. We’ll continue up work. The Temple of Athena, set on the Acropolis of Lindos, is into the center of the island — passing orchard after orchard — to our next stop.